Best Sustainable Footwear Brands – 10 Sustainable Footwear Brands You Should Know About

A pillar of more sustainable shopping is buying less to begin with. NEOUS, an Italy-based shoe and handbag brand, focuses on modern, minimalist designs that won’t lose their shine with new trend cycles. The real eco-responsible aspects of NEOUS emerge in its design process. All leathers are by-products of other industries, and other textiles incorporate organic cotton and recycled fabrics. NEOUS is committed to increasing its use of these materials for its boots and bags every season. A special element of its footwear is also the most durable: By making almost 80 percent of all products by hand, NEOUS cuts emissions.

After stints in design at Dior, Chloé, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy and more, friends Paule Tenaillon and Marine Braquet decided to launch their own brand of shoes based on sustainable principles. That brand is Nomasei, where a combination of family-friendly facilities, plastic-free packaging, and slow production processes (among many other commitments they’ve shared) combine to make casual boots and more responsible retro moccasins. and downright chic. The brand isn’t stopping its efforts where they started: Right now, Nomasei is completing a factory renovation that will reduce energy use and improve water regulation behind every shoe it makes.

Reformation was founded with eco-friendly practices woven into its dresses, jeans and sweaters. But the brand was not happy with the element of durability of its first foray into footwear. Flash-forward to May 2021: Reformation has relaunched the shoes, this time with fewer emissions, less virgin plastics, and a lot more traceable leather.

Stella McCartney, the woman and the designer label, has prioritized environmental activism before taking the contours of a fashion trend. In 2001, Stella McCartney released her first shoes and clothing without leather, fur or animal skins, and continued to add new eco-friendly practices from there. In the present, you can find everything from towering re-emergence boots made of PVC-free glitter to chunky hiking boots with durable wood soles.

For a dose of durability in your resort wardrobe, St. Agni is the shoe brand to buy. The Australian brand already uses eco-friendly materials for its woven sandals and mules and has global certifications for green production, but it’s going even further. St. Agni strives to become fully traceable, which means that every material it uses in the supply chain can be traced back to its original source, ensuring its sustainability every step of the way. For a complete look, the brand also offers light dresses and tailor-made pieces made with the same ethic.

Piferi wasn’t launched until 2020, but it’s already making an impact on party heel collections everywhere. What you see are feminine heels in baby pink and black patent satin; what you have in front of you are bio-based corn compounds and post-consumer waste, materials with less emissions than a typical shoe. Now you know it: a reduced environmental impact can be downright pretty.

Madame shoes are for the woman who sees her shoes as an exclamation point to a bold outfit. What the candy-colored sandals and low heels of this line offer in terms of comfort and solar energy, they correspond to the ecological spirit. Ma’am has built its sustainability agenda around local production, working with an ethically managed factory in Los Angeles, and reducing freight transportation to reduce emissions. Support for women is also taken into account in Ma’am’s sustainable development manifesto. Each season, the brand promotes an organization dedicated to the empowerment of women, such as I Am a Voter and Baby2Baby.

In the long term, the direct-to-consumer brand Koio aims to become the leading brand of regenerative luxury shoes. In the short term, it’s about sourcing leather from regenerative farms and lining each shoe for years of wear. All this growth going on behind the scenes: What you buy is an effortless moccasin, Chelsea boot, or sneaker that can complement outfits for days on end.

From street style to the Duchess of Sussex’s royal tour wardrobe, you’ve probably seen Veja sneakers in intense rotation. Their popularity goes far beyond their signature, casual low top sneakers. Veja was founded with sustainability at the forefront, always producing its shoes with vegan materials and the safest working conditions for employees. Don’t just take our word for it: before purchasing, you are invited to browse Veja’s 15-chapter recap of each eco-responsible practice he uses.

The most comfortable option in our ranking of the best sustainable shoes also includes some of the most impressive engagements. In addition to weaving each shoe from recycled marine plastic and knitting each pair in patterns that reduce fabric waste, Rothy’s strives to make their brand entirely circular. Translation? Its products will soon be fully recyclable on their own, so used pairs won’t end up in landfill by the time of the update. And you’ll want to keep a pair handy for on the go or relaxing at home. From ballet flats to driving moccasins, Rothy shoes are all soft to the touch and without blister-causing seams.